Borussia Mönchengladbach coach Marco Rose said ahead of Tuesday's match against Real Madrid that his team worked hard to be in the Champions League and play great games and that he is happy to have to play against a great rival.
"We wanted great games and we are happy to have a great rival," Rose said at the press conference.
Asked whether the old European tradition of 'Gladbach' carried any weight in the game, Rose said that the focus should be on the here and now.
"In a team like 'Gladbach, tradition always plays an important role, but it doesn't help us, we have to concentrate on the here and now," he said.
"We know what we have to work on, we know why we are here. It's not a question of bravado, but we know that against Madrid we have to look for our opportunities and we are going to try, although we know it will be difficult," he added.
Rose said he did not see the entire match, but only parts because Gladbach' played at the same time.
"In any case, we know that Barcelona is in a difficult phase and that it is no longer the Barcelona we all knew and admired. About Madrid I will already have 90 minutes to see it thinking about my team," he said.
Rose had words of praise for Zinedine Zidane, whom he described as one of the best players of all time, adding that he was happy that he had also had a successful career as a coach.
About the captain of Madrid, Sergio Ramos, he said that "he is an uncomfortable player for any rival and that every coach would prefer to have him in his team".
"However, I am satisfied with what I have. We have players who can also exercise leadership," he said.
Rose did not want to give clues about the line-up, but said that there are no noteworthy casualties and that all those who have been in recent games are available to him.